SOLAR: A new survey finds an estimated 15,000 solar energy jobs have been lost in California because of the coronavirus crisis; residential installers across the country are particularly hard hit. (Capital Public Radio News, Associated Press)

ALSO: The City of Denver, Colorado is awarded $1,000,000 for low-cost community solar gardens across municipal properties including schools and libraries. (news release)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship***

STORAGE:
• Southern California Edison is waiting for state regulators’ approval on 770 MW of battery energy storage projects meant to replace the grid capacity provided by four natural gas-fired power plants. (Greentech Media)
• California energy storage companies are reportedly struggling to find eligible customers and install battery systems under a state program to protect vulnerable populations during the upcoming wildfire season. (Greentech Media)

CALIFORNIA:
• PG&E announces three quarters of its board of directors will be removed as the utility exits bankruptcy, leaving three of the 14 current board members in place. (Associated Press)
• The attorney representing the largest group of PG&E’s wildfire victims in the utility’s bankruptcy continues to face scrutiny over revelations he is partially funded by some of the Wall Street firms he’s negotiating against. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Some PG&E wildfire victims are feeling pressured to agree to the utility’s $13.5 billion settlement deal while others are still waiting to receive ballots to vote on the agreement before the May 15 deadline. (Action News Now, KQED)

CLEAN ENERGY: Energy storage companies and environmentalists disagree on whether or not California should fast track its 3.3-gigawatt “all-source” procurement. (Greentech Media)

CLIMATE: Republican U.S. Wyoming Senator John Barrasso says he believes in the science of climate and is focused on ways climate challenges can be addressed without taxation and penalization. (Wyoming Public Media)

COAL: Experts say the decline of coal in Wyoming could be accelerated because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Casper Star-Tribune)

OIL & GAS: New Mexico tribes say they need more time to review and comment on a BLM plan that will guide oil and gas development over the next decade in the northwestern part of the state. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: A proposed nuclear waste storage site in southern New Mexico advances through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licencing process while a U.S. Department of Energy-commissioned report indicates numerous concerns have to be addressed for the disposal program to be successful. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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UTILITIES: Nevada utility officials explain how their companies protect customers and the environment in navigating the challenges of climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. (Nevada Business Magazine)

COMMENTARY:
• A Wyoming editorial board says the BLM should hold off on its Rock Springs Resource Management Plan until the coronavirus crisis passes. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A Wyoming wildlife researcher says the BLM should suspend oil and gas leasing during the coronavirus pandemic and plummeting oil prices. (WyoFile)
• A Wyoming environmentalist explains how supporting the state’s agricultural needs and continuing to improve air quality will help the state’s oil and gas industry. (Carlsbad Star-Tribune)

Lisa Ellwood

Lisa is a Lenape and Nanticoke Native American freelance journalist, editor and writer currently based in the U.K. She has more than two decades’ experience working in corporate communications and print and digital media. She compiles the Western Energy News daily email digest. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University; her specializations include data journalism and visualization. She is a member of the Native American Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Union of Journalists (U.K.).